Hackensack, New Jersey, school district plans to cut staffing due to multimillion dollar budget gap
A Bergen County, New Jersey, school district says it will have to cut staffing after discovering a multimillion dollar budget gap.
An audit for the Hackensack School District uncovered a $17 million budget gap for the 2025-2026 academic year and a projected $24 million gap for the next.
What caused the budget gap
"What you see is a pattern of cash reserves being drawn down and used and not being replenished," auditor Steven Wielkotz said.
Auditors say the shortfall can be explained by the district's staffing roster missing dozens of employees and their salaries, as well as years of over-reliance on state COVID funding, which has run dry.
The current administration blames their predecessors.
"Our actual spending was never properly balanced against our real income," said Dr. Steven Lewis, a school district business administrator.
To make up for the deficit, the district plans to cut staffing, including up to 90 fulltime teachers, along with field trips and professional development, among other things.
Community reacts at Board of Education meeting
Parents, teachers and students alike got emotional during a Board of Education meeting Wednesday.
"This is not a minor oversight. This is a catastrophic failure," substitute teacher Monica Brenson said.
"Larger class sizes means less attention," one student said. "Fewer counselors means students falling through the cracks."
"It is an injustice to set our schools back," one parent said.
The Board of Education is now pursuing legal action against former administrators and vendors, accusing them of conspiring to defraud the district.